Everything is fine(d) and dandy for the Isfeld Ice junior girls basketball team as they prepare for the B.C. championships March 2-5 in Langley.
The North Island champions finished second at the Island tournament this past weekend only to learn that they had not pre-registered for the Provincials.
After being told they would have to pay a $5,000 fine in order to attend the B.C.s, they appealed and at a Monday night hearing the fine was reduced to $400. And the trip to Provincials was back on.
"We will be doing some fundraising this week to subsidize the cost of the trip for the kids (currently $250 per player)," said co-coach Sherri Bohmer.
"We will be bagging groceries at Superstore on Saturday, as well as seeking donations from the community. The girls are super excited, as are their coaches!"
The B.C. Junior, AA and AAA girls provincial basketball championships draws were revealed Feb. 24 at the Langley Events Centre.
Isfeld is seeded #13 at the 16-team AAA event and will meet #4 Argyle in their first game - and the tournament opener - at 9 a.m. on March 2.
At the Island championships in Colwood, the Ice knocked off Oak Bay 44-22 in their first game. Despite being underdogs against Claremont in the semifinals, the Ice prevailed 36-29 to go to the final and earn a berth to the B.C.s.
"We then went on to have the game of our lives on Saturday against provincially ranked (and host team) Royal Bay, losing by only three points (38-35) to take second place on the Island," said Bohmer, who co-coaches with Ken Erikson.
North Island Champs
The previous weekend, the Ice were in Nanaimo where they went undefeated (3-0) to capture the North Island title.
Their first game was against Mid-Island #3 ranked John Barsby, who recently added and perfected an aggressive 1-3-1 half-court trap that kept the score close for the first half. The Ice pulled away with some quick passing and great shooting to win 32-19.
Their second game was against Mid-Island #1 Dover Bay. The previous match-up this season between the Dolphins and the Ice resulted in an intense one-point win in overtime. This time, the Ice played one of their best games this season, both defensively and offensively, pulling off a 49-21 win.
The final game saw league rival Alberni District Secondary meeting the Ice for another final round. The two teams met in the District finals the previous weekend, which resulted in a heartbreaking two-point loss for the Ice.
This was one of three losses to ADSS this season for the Ice and they were looking for redemption. Isfeld came out strong and led every quarter to win 53-34. Point guard Alyssa Erikson led the scoring with 15 points, including four excellent three-point bombs.
There were many other contributors to the scoring, including Sarah McKillican (12), Dianna Townsend (10), Destanie Williams (6) and Erin Butnor (6). Bohmer attributed the team's success to their defence. “The girls played outstanding defence this weekend. This was our best-played game of the season, hands down.”
Three Teams at Islands
Three Comox Valley boys basketball teams are at their respective Island championships this week (Feb. 25-27).
The Highland Raiders 2A boys are at SMUS as North Island #4 and meet Lambrick Park (South Island #1) Thursday at 5:45 p.m.
The Raiders went 1-2 at the North Islands, beating Ladysmith while losing to Brentwood and Gulf Islands.
The Isfeld Ice 3A boys are in Nanaimo for their Island tourney and the North Island #1 seed takes on Carihi (North Island #5) Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
The Ice are undefeated (32-0) this season and shooting for their third straight appearance at Provincials.
The Vanier Towhees 4A boys are at Dover Bay in Nanaimo for their Island tourney. The North Island #3 Towhees take on South Island #2 Belmont Thursday at 6 p.m.
Details of all the boys' Island championships are at www.sportvictoria.com